Ancient cross in Nunburnholme, England
Introduction Tonight, I am posting information on a fascinating, historic cross which is located in the Church of St. James a Nunburnholme in east Yorkshire, northern England. It should be remembered that English churches were, effectively, community centres whose contents and architecture reflect the cultural and other changes which have occurred over the past 1500 years or so. As described below, the cross reflects migration patterns covering about 400 years, from Anglo-Saxon (N. German) to Scandinavian (Danish and Norse) and Norman French. All of these movements provided the basic building blocks of what became the English language which in turn has become the lingua franca of the world today. Interestingly, the core of Nunburnholme is of Scandinavian origin and means 'Place at the springs or streams.'The 'nun' element is a later affix derived from a former Benedictine Nunnery nearby. Key features of the church and cross Key features of this church are:1. The inter...